Greetings MetalMortals,
Gigantour rocks! Dave Mustaine & Megadeth put on an awesome show at Congress Theatre in Chicago on September 22, 2006. I have seen Megadeth many times, but never like this. I was in total shock. Usually, Dave & Megadeth just stand in their respective positions and headbang away. No talking to the crowd at all. But, Mustaine has taken
it upon himself to put on a little more of a show with Megadeth headlining Gigantour. (I guess opening for Motley Crue a few years back, didn't put them in the best of moods to chat with the crowd.)
Anyway, Dave chatted it up just enough between songs to keep the crowd with him and the whole band was really active during the set. Jumping around throwing out some guitar picks, etc. It was great to see Mustaine having a bit of fun up there for a change.
I busted out of work to get to the show as soon as I could, but I missed a lot of the opening bands. I got there just in time for the 4 headliners: Arch Enemy, Opeth, Lamb of God and Megadeth.
I'm not a huge fan of Arch Enemy, but the lead singer (blond chick) put on a great
show. Big time stage presence. To see someone that looks like she does growl instead of sing is something you have to see to believe.
Opeth is incredible. I loved their performance. I had heard a few of their songs before the concert and I knew they had a good mix of heavy metal and stoner rock. The live performance was perfect. Opeth definitely had the best sound/tone of the night (a lot of the other bands had the bass turned up way too high). I am exploring the
rest of Opeth's catalog on Yahoo Music now. They have a ton of great music out there. Check out these Swedes, you will like it.
I think this was the second time I have seen Lamb of God live. I believe I saw them opening for Slipknot a couple of years ago, but I honestly can't remember. I didn't really know who Lamb of God was at the time! I know, that's pretty sad.
Lamb of God rocked. The guitar playing was super tight. I kind of got sick of the lead singer talking about the new album coming out and all that usual bullshit. I
kind of have a bad opinion of the guy after watching the Killadelphia DVD. You know, the one where Mark Morton (guitar) beats his ass while they are on the tour bus and Randy is wearing a kilt. Lamb of God rocks, but the lead singer doesn't exactly remind me of a bad ass front man, like Phil Anselmo (Pantera/Down/Superjoint Ritual).
One last point. You've got to see shows at the Congress Theatre in Chicago if you haven't yet. It's small enough to get up close to the stage without getting killed and big enough to be exciting. Capacity is about 3,000.
Best part of the Gigantour 2006 experience? I scalped my ticket right outside the venue for $20. It was a $50 ticket (plus the fascist Ticketmaster fees). I bought it from some 40 year old alcoholic dude. I am not exaggerating here. This guy reeked of Jim Beam and was kind of dirty. But, he was very cool and I hung out with him a bit inside the show. (I shit you not, he asked for a "sip" of my beer. I said...um...no dude.)
Ok, that's it. I'll stop now.
Until next time, keep the rubber-side down.
Later,
TommyKnocker
